Overcoming Jealousy
by Handwritten
Summary: Roxas and Namine. The perfect couple. Until one dinner date, a flirtatious waitress, jealousy, and one rainy evening tests just how much they love each other. Namixas oneshot - AU.


**O v e r c o m i n g **_J e a l o u s y_

Roxas and Namine are around 22 in this story.  
This has been sitting in my documents for a while...

* * *

Namine, giving a quiet sigh, leaned her chin against her flat palm. The waitress, once again, was leaning just a _bit _too far over to point out something on her boyfriend's menu. Roxas just smiled politely, not quite catching the lustful look in the girl's eyes as her french-manicured finger grazed his shoulder.

"Thank you, uh, Airi." Roxas said in return, glancing at the girl's name tag. She had a long mane of dark chestnut brown hair, swept off to the side; her even darker eyes were smoldering at the handsome man in front of her. When she spoke, her voice was laced with suggestion, quite obvious to anyone within earshot. The way her finger was twirling a dark lock of hair wasn't exactly helping to disguise that kind of lustful attraction.

"Airi means 'beloved jasmine'." She smiled coyly. "What does _your _name mean?" (Namine snorted under her breath. What a way to get a guy's name.)

"Oh...well, it's Roxas...so...'sky', I suppose. Something like that."

"Roxas, hm? I like it." She bit her lip, fluttering her eyelashes slightly.

_Oh my god. It looks like she has something in her damn eye._ _At least Roxas doesn't seem to be eating up her act._

It's not like Namine didn't _trust _him. It's just that he was too good-looking and charismatic for his own good. Though unaware enough to not able to see what was _right in front of him! _It was so obvious to HER that this woman was practically having an orgasm just hearing his voice, for Pete's sake.

Her blue eyes narrowed as they glided over the dessert menu. Roxas had taken her out for dinner; presenting the blond girl with a single rose after they kissed in greeting. It had seemed like the perfect start to the perfect evening with the one you love, but as soon as they walked in the door, almost every pair of eyes attached to a female employee snapped towards him. Along with his tousled dark blond hair, bright and sparkling blue eyes, straight jawlines and some model-like cheekbones, their gazes hadn't wavered from him once the two sipped at their water.

_Hm...dark chocolate cheesecake, maybe? Yeah...with raspberry sauce and white chocolate drizzled all over it. Yum. If I won't be enjoying Roxas' company, I may as well treat myself to something sweet.  
_

Roxas didn't give any other girls' a lingering glance, but he was too oblivious to realize they were flirting! _It would have been nice if he at least held my hand, or included me into their 'conversation'; give them a subtle hint that there was another human at the table._

"Do you like chocolate?... You look like the type of guy who enjoys sweet things." The young waitress said, a not-so-subtle hint to anyone with ears; except Roxas, who had it in his head that as long they wore a name-tag, their feelings would be strictly professional.

Of course, only a drop-dead gorgeous man could have a mind like that. Really. I bet he would be gorgeous even _after _death. A bit paler, sure, but you know what it would say on his tombstone?

'**Gorgeous since 1983 - Over one million dazzled**_' _- or something.

_Oh, great, my sarcastic side has decided to make an appearance. _She thought miserably. That meant she was seriously pissed, and her mood didn't improve when Roxas didn't even blink at the waitress's completely inappropriate comment, just sat there with that same oblivious smile. He finally looked up at Namine over the table. "Have you decided on anything, Namine?"

The waitress's dark brown eyes were scathing as they swept over her. She almost seemed..._protective. _The waitress was feeling protective of Namine's own boyfriend. That was the last straw.

Coming to her breaking point; Namine tossed her menu onto the table, sliding out of the chair and straightening her evening dress. A few couples at the surrounding tables glanced at the sudden eruption of movement, and the one-sided tension rose considerably.

She raised her chin proudly, but anger was burning in her blue eyes. "Actually, I think I'll skip this one." She grabbed her purse, quickly walking away from the table, past numerous waiters who stopped and stared as she stormed away. Roxas, sounding flabbergasted, called after her before hurriedly asking for the bill. Namine didn't hear the girl's reply, since the glass door leading to the restaurant had swung shut by that time. She hugged her light sweater tightly to herself as the light drizzling of rain hit her overheated skin. She hardly felt it.

She walked to the edge of the sidewalk, looking both ways for a taxi. It was getting dark, but Namine didn't feel cold. Her anger at Roxas kept a small fire lit inside her as she walked a few paces up and down the sidewalk. Taxi's regularly passed by here, so Namine knew she would get one soon enough._ What is the point of walking out on your boyfriend if you have to wait around for a ride? _

"Namine!" Blue eyes looked over her shoulder at Roxas, who flew out of the restaurant, coming up behind her; even the worried lines gathering between his brow practically looked sexy on him. "Are you alright? You seem sort of upset." He reached to take her hand, but she tucked them up against her own side. He retracted his hand, but stepped a bit closer.

Namine tried to keep her voice as calm as his. "I'm fine. I don't think the waitress was - maybe you should go ask her how _she's _doing. She would appreciate _that_, I'm sure." Rolling her eyes, she turned back to the dark street.

"Okay, now I'm positive you're angry with me." He said placidly. "But, Namine, what do you mean? The waitress was just being friendly-"

"Friendly?" She held back a sneer of contempt. "Do _waiters_ usually ask for your name? It's meaning? Take extra special care to describe every meal in _detail? _I wouldn't be surprised if she slipped her number on the receipt!"

Roxas shook his head. "Namine, we've gone through this before. I think you're just letting jealousy take over your natural ability to think rationa-"

"You do this _every time!_" She said loudly. "Every time we go out - all the female employees in the entire establishment make plays for you! And you always peg it as 'friendliness'. Roxas, I would feel a lot better about it if you at least REALIZED that a woman was making a pass at you."

Roxas, looking a bit startled, stared at her with wide eyes in silence. Then he swiftly bent down, his lips meeting Namine's in a fiery kiss. Their mouths conflicted, Namine wanting to pull away, but at the same time only press herself closer.

"I will never love anyone other than you." His voice was hoarse when they pulled apart. She stepped backwards, touching her bottom lip gingerly with numb fingers.

"You mean..." She looked up at him. "Roxas, why won't you admit that-"

Roxas really looked flustered now, and he raked his fingers through his damp hair. "That I'm wrong? That I'll only converse with people if they're male? I don't see why it's so important to you." He argued. "I just think you're overreacting."

"I am not!" She resisted stomping her foot like a child, but instead turned her head upwards, her voice haughty. Their eyes locked, and his spikes were almost crackling with anger. Namine continued speaking, eyes flashing. "How would _you _feel if a male waiter was flirting my pants off, and I just pegged it as 'friendliness'? You can't say you wouldn't be annoyed."

At that moment, a Taxi slowed as it passed the restaurant. Moving her bag's strap farther up her shoulder, she quickly waved it down, heels clacking against the wet pavement as she crossed the street. Roxas followed close behind.

"Namine, you don't need to take a taxi. I have a car here- hey, Namine!" He yelled as she slammed the yellow door of the taxi. Namine hastily gave the driver directions, telling him to ignore Roxas who was tugging on the locked door. She sunk farther into the seat as the taxi drove along, burying her face into her hands.

_I'm sorry, Roxas. But I can't do this anymore.

* * *

_

The next morning, Namine woke up groggy and disoriented. She snuggled against her warm pillow, just lulling back to sleep when quiet mellow music, accompanied by a soft male voice, floated throughout the room. She groaned, rolling over and flipped the power switch of the clock radio. Sighing deeply, Namine tucked the blanket back around her body. Her pajama top was sticky with sweat.

All of the sudden, she didn't feel like going back to sleep. After all - the night before, she had gotten in her first fight with Roxas. Ever. _I mean, sure, we've had our disagreements. But we always ended up making up afterward. (Er, more like end up making _out_, but okay, whatever floats your boat.)_

She sat up, pulling her messy hair back into a ponytail before reaching for her cellphone. She flipped it open, the picture Kairi had taken of her and Roxas at New Years' practically slapping her in the face. _No new messages. Figures. _She stayed in bed for another few minutes, then her stomach insisted she get up and make some food. It looked cloudy and grey outside. This Sunday was already looking dreary and boring.

Grabbing a cozy sweater off the top of her dresser, she made her way out of her bedroom. It was only when she had it on that she realized it was one of Roxas' sweaters he had left in her room one night. The dark blue material was soft and comforting. She absently pulled on the hemline; not thinking of his angry expression from yesterday, but of his kind and gentle smiles from the days they spent together. She kept those close to her.

She cracked the eggs against the edge of the counter, letting the yolk slip into the frying pan. Added the chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach in a daze. _One little fight doesn't mean you've split, right? _Their relationship was going into uncharted waters here. Neither of them were exactly...experienced... in this sort of thing.

With a frustrated sigh, she stuck a slice of bread into her old toaster. Scrambled the eggs. Added a couple pinches of salt. Her thought stayed on the words she and Roxas had exchanged. _Does he think I'm just another jealous girl? Isn't it good to have some jealousy? Doesn't it mean I care? Or have I taken it too far?_

_Maybe I just should have kept it to myself. _

But at least he knew where she stood in this argument. And Namine wasn't budging. Their relationship had always been stable and loving. Of course there were going to be a few bumps along the way.

Realizing she was almost direct-quoting her mother, she shook her head and started buttering the warm toast. Namine ate her breakfast in silence. Completely alone.

* * *

It wasn't like she and Roxas had spent every minute of every day with each other. They would sometimes have days without the other's presence, other then a casual phone call. But, unlike now, they always _knew _that the other was there; their feelings not wavering. These "_did I just mess us up?_" thoughts that were keeping Namine's mind _quite _occupied, were rather unnerving. Her cell phone did ring once, but just as she sprung up to answer, the ring cut off mid way. She didn't have the heart to search through the missed calls to see who had called.

Namine held the silent phone in her hand, hope deflated like Riku's ego when he was turned down. It was useless trying to figure out what each minute of silence in her apartment meant. _I need to distract myself._

She cleaned her apartment from top to bottom. She dusted. Vacuumed. Namine polished, scrubbed, washed, wiped, swept. Organized her much-cluttered art table. Alphabetized the pantry. She even, painfully, made some of her special homemade granola. The kind that Roxas had always helped her make on Saturday afternoons, to enjoy the next morning.

_Sunday mornings_...those were truly the best ones. They would both be refreshed from a work-free Saturday, and be able to enjoy it however the two wanted. Roxas and Namine tried not to stay over at each other's during the week, since the would result in the both of them being rather tired at their day jobs the next morning. After all, they never got much sleep at these...uh...'sleepovers'.

Namine's attention lingered on those certain night. They would always speak in hushed voices; when she was buried deep in his arms, laying against his naked chest, they could never bring themselves to speak at full volume. It would take away the feeling that they had their own reality, apart from the stresses of realness.

Namine realized that last night would have been their Sunday night. Right now, instead of moping around and going on a cleaning-frenzy (The window spray had practically seeped into her skin, literally), she would be warm and snug with Roxas, in one bed or another. They always stayed in bed until eleven (of course, the two tiptoed into the bathroom to brush their teeth. No one likes to be in bed with your better half, with morning breath), and by the time they would eat breakfast, Roxas would be so ravenous that he would eat most of the granola they had prepared the day before.

She jolted out of her thoughts, realizing she had been daydreaming while holding the vacuum in one hand. It was roaring away, and Namine clicked it off with her socked foot. The silence was even louder than the vacuum.

She shoved the vacuum and other numerous cleaning supplies in the closet, and took a quick shower. She treated herself to the body wash she had been hesitant to use (an anniversary gift from a friend), and took extra care with shaving her legs. Namine pampered by hair with lotion and spray, styling it into a natural curl down past her shoulders. She dressed in a light charcoal-grey sweater, and dark blue jeans.

Grabbing her cleaners' receipt that was pinned to the mirror, she locked her apartment door behind her, then headed into the elevator. She felt jumpy and nervous, even though she was only going to go pick up her clothes. _Will I look different to other people? Do I look like a girl who is in a very confusing situation with her boyfriend?_

Looking as nice as she did, when all she was doing was walk to the cleaners, was probably a good enough hint as it was. She stepped through the pale green door of the dry-cleaners, a bell signaling her arrival.

Namine tried to greet the man behind the counter as cheerily as usual. Said man looked at the smiling girl for a second longer, then grinned and handed her a few clothes hanging from the rack. Once she had her change, she was back to the sidewalk. Namine stopped in at her (and Roxas'...) favorite coffee shop; a small place with comfy chairs lining the walls. Only taking a small latte to go, she breezed out of the building as fast as she had come. Namine, as usual, dropped the few coins she carried into the sleeping homeless man's empty coffee cup, leaning against the wall.

She sipped at the scalding drink, letting it warm her as she began her slow walk back to her place. Namine carefully walked up the few steps to the doorway, almost bumping into the lone figure leaning against the wall.

"Oh - sorry." Namine murmured, edging around him. Glancing up beneath his raincoat's hood, she gave a small gasp. Roxas' blue eyes were dark and serious beneath his fringe, though he smiled when she didn't move to slap him for darkening her doorway. Or anything like that.

"Hi." He said quietly, eying her made-up hair and face. She fumbled with her words, but he beat her to whatever she was going to say.

"Look, I know you may not want to see me right now, but I need to talk to you." His voice was low and pleading, and the side of his mouth was quirked down.

Namine nodded mutely, moving her wrapped clothes to the other hand so she could unlock the door. The two went up the stairs in silence, and it wasn't until they were in Namine's very-clean apartment that he spoke.

"I'm sorry Namine. I-I...uh...well, what you said was true. That waitress was, apparently, flirting with me. I'm sorry I didn't make it more clear that my heart belonged to no one but you."

Namine didn't speak for a minute. "Belongs." She found her voice, finally.

"What?" He whispered.

The blushing girl cleared her throat, shifting almost uneasily on her slippered feet. "Your heart _belongs _to no one but me. You used past tense, Roxas."

A happy grin spread across his face, and he looked like he was going to kiss her; but he halted just as her eyes were slipping closed. Roxas moved his hand to his pocket, drawing out a piece of paper. Namine recognized it as the receipt from last night's restaurant.

He handed it to her. "I have to admit this was the final thing I needed to realize that I should _always _trust a woman's intuition."

Written at the bottom of the receipt was a cellphone number in curly cursive. It was signed 'Airi', a bulbous heart scrawled beside it. Namine dropped the paper, letting it float the ground. Throwing her arms around Roxas' neck, she finally let a few tears drip down her cheeks. Roxas held her tightly, rocking the both of them gently back and forth.

"God, I missed you." He whispered against her hair. "I guess I figured I would give you some space to cool down... Though I followed the cab you were in with my car, to make sure you got home okay. I did anything I could to keep myself from running over here this morning." Roxas' laughs were quiet but joyful, and she let herself soak in his presence like a sponge, filling herself to the brim.

"I doubt my place has ever been so clean." She mumbled against his shirt, loosening her hands. Only to stand on her tiptoes to place a chaste kiss on his lips. After another close hug, they shared a not-so-chaste kiss, and Namine felt so happy and relieved to be with him, she almost felt like she would start to tear up again.

"Maybe we should fight more often. Gives us a reason to clean our places."

Namine smiled against his lips, the scent of coffee and detergent lingering on her senses. She didn't like fighting with Roxas, but at least she was no confident that even if they _did _have a disagreement, they could always agree on getting back together.

"Besides." Roxas said, grinning slyly. "I'd rather have _you_ then a million Airi's. Two million. Unlimited."

Snorts were mixed in throughout Namine's laughter. "You're an idiot, Roxas." He leaned down so their noses brushed.

"Yes. But I'm _your _idiot."

* * *

Just realized I never put 'AU' in my oneshot descriptions D: Oh wells. Maybe I'll go add that now.  
I don't like writing about them when their older! DX I have the maturity level of a 11 year old (trust me, I'm quite a bit older), so it's too difficult!

Anyway. Hope you enjoyed, and please review with any ideas for oneshots :) I'd love to hear them.


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